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My liberal friends oftentimes shudder that I used to work for EDS in the mid-80s. I went to work there specifically because of Ross Perot. There was a corporate video of Perot speaking to a large auditorium of EDSers where he said, “I don’t like the employees of EDS; I *love* the employees of EDS.” As a young professional, who had just come into the workforce and faced layoffs at my first job out of college, this message moved me and inspired fierce loyalty in me.

If you recall, he sent his own swat team into Iran during the revolution to rescue his employees there. That’s love. And leadership.

I’ve had two exceptional managers in my 24 years here. After the relationship was established, I found out we all grew up with the same religion. I’m not saying our religion was the key, but does add an element to the discussion about “love” as a leadership attribute.